Contact
by inheritance98
Summary: Talking animals. They say its impossible right? Wrong. Prepare yourself for a culture clash as Shade and 15 year old eccentric scientist go head to head on various topics. Will Mankind see its errors at long last? The ways of bats and humans will never be the same.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Its been a while since I last read the Silverwing books, so forgive me if I make any errors. You may have noticed that this is in the humor genre. These first two or three chapters will be Shade and Eugene getting to know and understand each other; so they will be more serious. Marina might come into the story later, but I am not sure. I hope you enjoy!**

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Interspecies Communication

By: Eugene Bauman

Age: 15

_Day one: Communication with animals. They say it can't be done, but I disagree. Humans ourselves were once primitive apes. We still are technically animals; we have to find a food source, water source, and shelter. Just in the form of McDonalds, water fountains, and 30 story high apartment buildings. So why can't we communicate with other species of animals? That's just it; we can. We see it every day. On the internet we see animals go, "RI ruff rou (I love you)." In an vain attempt to make contact. We can still tell the body language of animals, a trait we fortunately have kept. This could be a valuable backup for this project if the verbal prototype fails. We still communicate to our pets by showing our affection in the form of food and petting, and it is usually conveyed (except for cats, you pet them and then they claw you). This is what we do today for communication with animals. That is not the point of this experiment. I plan to discover a way to carry a real verbal conversation with an animal. But how to go about it? Human's culture and speaking have long since separated from the basic and lesser society of animals. For once, being an advanced race will be a disadvantage, as we are simply too advanced. The second part of the experiment is to find out what animals think of us. I am not referring to the ones we domesticate and half the time pamper (The other half of domestic is animal abuse. Although it might support those save an animal programs if communication was achieved. You would think that humans, with all our power, could stop it.). This project will reveal what wild, untamed animals think of us and our ways. What would it be like for animal to see in awe the power of mankind? First, however, I will need a test subject. Where to find one, I don't know, but I will. I must keep these notes from jealous and critical eyes. I need to gather enough information to make a valid argument. Otherwise, I might be put in a mental ward, shunned, and labeled as clinically insane. Like the last place I lived. But know I have a new start here. There are plenty of undeveloped land around to find a test subject too..._

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**Shade's POV**

Shade flew through the trees, barely avoiding hitting branches as he pursued a moth. Months had passed since the treaty had been formed with owls, and they were free to fly anytime they wanted. Some bats still flew at night however, as they disliked the bright light they had never known since youth. Despite the treaty bats still had to watch their backs. Renegade owls who were opposed to the bat's newfound freedom would still hunt and kill bats, whether at night or day. However, a new threat was taking its hold on the forest. Humans were coming. They were still a fair distance from New Tree Haven, but they were coming. With their machines they fouled the air and tore down trees, putting in their stead lifeless plants, shelters, and coming upon their completion, humans. At first, creatures across the forest thought not much of it, but turned their eyes upon the humans nevertheless , the memories and stories of the bats and owls fate still rang in their ears. Then they stopped and relief flowed through the forest. Then the hunters came suddenly, without warning. Armed with metal and wooden weapons, they killed from afar. Fleeing and flying were usually ineffective in escape, but lowered the chance of being hit. The deer of the forest bore the blunt of the hunting, as they were strangely the main targets. Then just as suddenly, they stopped. Rats, mice, squirrels, and pigeons were adapting well to the new environment, but the other creatures were not as fortunate. Reports of deer's heads being mounted in human dwellings was the last straw for some of the creatures, and they fled from the expansion of human occupation. Others stayed, hoping for the end of the human expansion, but were quite disappointed when the machines began to surge back into action. Bats had not suffered as heavy consequences from the human's development, but grew frantic nevertheless because of their previous losses to mankind.

Shade put on a burst of speed, caught the moth in his wing, and flicked it in his mouth. He still enjoyed pulling off those pupish stunts. They took his mind off the seriousness in the forest. Along with the stress of soon becoming a father. Right now, Marina was at New Tree Haven, to pregnant to go hunt for herself. It took the combined efforts of Shade and his mother's hunting to provide for her. Some bats opposed his and Marina's mating, urged in part by Bathsheba's gossip. Shade sighed, the many worries of the time started to worm their way into his mind. He banked to his right, using his echolocation to target a blissfully unaware beetle. A perfect gift for Marina. He dived, but the beetle remained blissfully unaware. A foot from the beetle he heard a twanging noise to his left. He cocked his head to see where the sound originated from, only to see a wall of light brown hurtling toward him. Shade clasped his wings to his body to drop out of the way, but was too slow. The material caught him and he fell to the ground covered in cloth. He heard footsteps coming and used his sound projection to try and buy him enough time to get out from under the cloth. The footsteps hesitated, then continued. Whatever had caught him was not paying attention to the enlarged sound image of Goth. The footsteps stopped, then the cloth was wrapped around him and lifted from the ground. Shade clawed at the material, but it was too tough to punctured. The footsteps began again, and Shade bobbed along with each footstep. In all the panic, a clear moment of realization came through: he was once more in the hands of a creature the whole forest feared. A human.

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Shade woke up to find himself lying on a- what is this stuff? It was crisp and marked by images and human symbols. He blinked and looked around. It was pitch dark. Shade cast out a quick squeak to observe his surroundings. He was trapped in a cage covered by a cloth. There were two basins: one filled with water, and the other filled to the brim with crickets. A crudely made roost hung from the side of the cage. He could hear noises coming from outside the cage. He could hear a human mumbling (probably the same that had captured him), and a clinking noise. Shade fluttered his wings nervously. What was he going to do now? It was the beginning of fall and with winter was approaching, the journey to Hibernaculum was going to start in a few months. Would he escape in time? How was Marina going to eat enough to survive? How would he know his son would be okay with no guidance from him? Did they know what happened to him? What- his train of thought was lost when the noises stopped. Footsteps approached the cage, and the cloth was flung off, letting in a flood of light. Shade blinked to adjust his eyes to the light, and saw two big hazel eyes looking though the bars. This human was shorter than the ones at the human building, and had pale skin and short brown hair on his head. The human stared at him for a moment before reaching under the table top Shade was on. Shade quickly glanced around the room outside the cage. It was quite small, with only a tiny window to view the world outside. Material, not unlike the substance at the bottom of the cage, was littered on the walls around the room and the flat tops of surfaces. A door was at the far end of the shack. Five machines were set around the room: one to the right of his cage, another glowing with human symbols on it, one hanging from the ceiling giving off light to bright to look at, one set on the wall that said 7:27 P.M, and a final one looked half wrecked/made. The human stood up with something in his covered fist, then unlocked a small door in the cage and stuck his fist in. The fist opened revealing a dead beetle. Shade's stomach growled and he realized how hungry he was. Shade hesitated, then lunged as fast as he could to get the beetle. The human's hand stayed still the whole time. As Shade munched on the beetle he eyed the hand cautiously. Then, very slowly, the hand reached for Shade. Shade bit a finger out of pure reaction and it withdrew sharply. The door to the cage closed and was locked. The human looked at Shade wearily, and Shade meet his gaze just as wearily. They looked at each other like this for a while. Then the human threw the cloth over the cage, and all Shade could hear was footsteps, a flick, a door opening and closing, and the click of a lock being locked.

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**Eugene's POV**

"Of course it had to be a bat. The only animal I came across in the forest-had to be bat. Not only do I now have to translate and slow the words coming out of his mouth, I have to change the pitch!" Eugene muttered to himself. He sighed and looked down at his desk, where a pitch modifier stood half completed. He glared at the cage as he picked up a screw driver. He even had to make a roost for the bat! He had been expecting a different creature, one more easy to provide for. If only he still had his hamster. Eugene glanced at the laptop on his desk, which showed the instructions of making a pitch modifier, then the clock which read 7:26 P.M. He would have to leave soon, or his parents would get suspicious. "You try to give a hamster a green smoothie as a snack, leave your little brother in charge of running the blender when you use the bathroom, and come back to find the hamster gone and the smoothie red _one time,_" Eugene muttered angrily to himself. Just then he heard flapping coming from the cage. He stood up and approached the cage. Eugene pulled off the cloth covering the it to reveal the tiny grey and black bat blinking to adjust its eyes. It was quite pitiful; a runt actually Eugene observed. He bent down and reached under the table for his gloves and a dead beetle. Perhaps a way to get to this creature was through its stomach. Eugene opened the door to the cage and stuck the hand with the beetle inside of the cage. The bat hesitated, then lunged for the beetle. Eugene was still for a moment then reached out to pet the bat. It lunged out and bit his finger. Eugene sharply removed his hand from the cage and closed the door, even though it did not hurt him. Well that hypothesis was a failure he thought cynically. He looked at the bat and it looked back at him. It unnerved Eugene somehow. Bats were just primitive creatures that could not handle even the slightest of higher thinking. But why did it look at him like that? It was almost as it knew something...Eugene mentally shook himself and threw the cloth back over the cage. He turned his attention back to the modifier and picked up the screwdriver, but set it back down. He looked at the cage again. Something just felt wrong here, but what was it? He was trying to give animals a voice for themselves, how was that wrong? Someone had to speak for the animals, why not the animals themselves? CEOs of major companies went around buying and developing land, usually with no opposition. If people abandoned their positions of stewards of the Earth, who would protect the wild? The animals, that's who. They would no longer need a human voice. Not to mention the other uses of communicating with animals. With them understanding humans, Crime would fall to an all time low. Who knows? The squirrel watching you ship drugs could be an undercover cop asset. Sea creatures could act as lifeguards, apes as extra thumbs, Any animal could serve a purpose to make life better! All I have to do is prove it can be done. But... it must wait. I am too unfocused right now. I cannot afford to make mistakes. Tomorrow, I will complete this. Eugene turned of the laptop and the light, then left with a final look at the cage. Tomorrow...he thought as he walked back to his house. Tomorrow we will see.

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**AN: Well there you have it. Should I continue? I am open for suggestions about other talks in the more lighthearted chapters. Please R&R! **


	2. Chapter 2: Communication

**AN: Terribly sorry about the wait, this was a rather tricky chapter to write. They say first impressions are everything. I would like to thank Bolt Greywing for his advice and my other first reviewers for their support. Remember that I am open to suggestions. Enjoy!**

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_Day 2: Today we will find out whether or not the first prototype, the Animal Translator 1, will succeed. It is vital that the pitch converter works properly, as if it fails and the translator itself works, communication will still be unlikely. _

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**Eugene's POV**

Eugene looked up from his journal and glanced at his clock on his nightstand. 7:00 a.m. His parents, much less his brother or sister, would be up this early on a Saturday. Eugene slipped the journal into his desk and walked to his door, twitching slightly with anticipation. He had worked a long time on the machine, and was eager to see if it would work. Achieving what had been thought impossible for hundreds of years was not any small feat, and the thought of finally breaking that barrier and finding what was behind it was tantalyzing. Less tantalizing was the bat. He held nothing against it, besides complicating his experiment and creeping him out. Eugene shivered as he descended the stairs. He hoped this bat's sleeping patterns had been normal; it would be hard to focus otherwise. The bat had been captured during the night, so Eugene suspected he would have no trouble with it. Not that he should be afraid or worried about a creature that fit in his palm, reassuring himself. He was thinking irrationally about it; After all, what could a bat do? Save the world? Destroy it? Eugene smiled at his own little joke as he retrieved a bagel from the cupboard and put on his shoes. He made a mental note to be back by 10:00 a.m, before he would be missed by his family. Smiling to himself as he went out the door, Eugene allowed himself to envision what the world could be with his invention operational. It was quite a vision.

* * *

**Shade's POV**

Shade started, awaken at the sound of a door opening. His night's dreams were filled with the wailing of the bats at the paradise trap, glinting bands, and explosions of bats hitting the building in flames. He quickly fluttered to the back of the cage, getting as much distance from the door. He heard a slight humming as something came to life, a click, and then the blanket was flung off and the human was standing before him again. His eyes quickly scanned Shade, then flickered to Shades food: Shade could have sworn the human was muttering a protest under his breath. Maybe it had to do with his higher sense of hearing that made the "quiet" whisper sound like a distant roll of thunder. It made it very easy to swear to have heard. The human tapped the bowl with crickets in it; still full from yesterday. Shade couldn't have eaten with worry nagging him every minute. The human was now tapping the cage then the bowl. Was it trying to tell him to eat? If he was, the crickets were probably poisoned. Shade shuddered, glad he hadn't eaten, and turned his back to the human. He heard a sigh of exasperation escape from the human._ Well I guess you aren't killing me today, _Shade thought with grim satisfaction.

The human turned his back to Shade and put two round objects with a hole in it's the center on the elevated surface. One was soft and had a grainy texture and smelled strange, which Shade was confused by until the human took a bite out of it. He had no idea why the humans would eat something so smelly. The other scared the living nightlights out of Shade. It was a huge band, almost big enough to put around the arm of the human. It lacked the shining gleam of the northern bat's bands, and the dark glint of Goth's band. It was just big and dull. Shade sent a prayer to Nocturna that he would not have to bear the weight of it. His prayer was answered moments later when the human started to peel strips of the dark material off and cut it, leaving long stretches of the material. He (Shade had determined that the human was indeed a male) then picked up a machine and attached it to another one using the strips as some kind of attachment. Despite his increasing dread of what the machine would do, Shade caught himself wondering at the strange tool.

Shade was suddenly jerked back to reality as the human picked up the machine and, grunting slightly, dropped in in front of Shade's cage with a thud that nearly shook Shade from his roost. The human then grabbed two wires extending from the machine and clipped them onto the bars of the cage. At the end of the wires were two bulky nubs filled with tiny holes. Fingers straightened them towards Shade. He took a nervous gulp and squeezed his eyes shut trying, and failing, to not imagine what would happen. Opening his eye just a slit, he was surprised to see the human attaching similar nubs to his head; one on his ear and another in front of his mouth. Then, once safely secure, he started to fiddle with something on the other side of the machine, which Shade couldn't see. Seconds later a sharp squealing shrieked out from one of the nubs. Shade desperately tried to cover his ears with his wings, the sharp squealing affecting his echo vision and magnified by his enhanced hearing. But it didn't stop there. It went higher. Then lower. Then high again, sharper than ever. Shade flattened his ears and reverted to his eyesight, clawing at his ears to block out the sound, which was now flatting out into a more moderate tone. Shade flinched, waiting for more to come, but it stayed that way. He glanced at the sound producing nub suspiciously. What was coming next? He was hardly prepared for what was.

* * *

**Narrator's POV**

"Hello? Can, you, hear, me?" Eugene said into the microphone, looking at Shade for any signs of reaction. Shade was so shocked he fell right out of his roost onto the floor of his cage. Eugene took that as a good sign. Shade got back up and stared incredulously at the nub. _Did it just TALK?! _Shade's attention fell upon Eugene, who was now talking into his mouth's nub in his thunderous voice. A faint beep emitted from the machine and the nub spoke again. "Can, you, understand, me?" Eugene said. Shade, catching on, didn't know what to say.

"Ummm, yes?" Shade said numbly. Eugene grinned widely. He had succeeded! A new world was now open to humankind. and it started right here. He suddenly felt the need to make a good impression. Unfortunately, his grin looked like a leer to Shade, which is not a very good impression.

"Do, not, be, afraid," Eugene said in an attempt to reassure any shock, "I, mean, you, no, harm." Shade looked up at Eugene slightly puzzled, not processing what had been said. He was still shocked by this revelation, now he was facing another. How could humans, with all their supposed intelligence, talk like slow idiots? Shade decided the new revelation would save him some time pondering.

"Why are you talking like a idiot?" Shade said, directing his mouth to the second microphone. Eugene fell out of his chair before using the table to pull himself up in bewilderment. He was completely thrown off by what Shade said. Eugene had been expecting a slow thinking process from Shade, and slowed down to make it easier for him. Now _he_ was being thought of as slow!

"I am _not _an idiot!" Eugene exclaimed, "I was talking slow so _you_ could understand me!"

"So _I'm_ the idiot?" Shade asked.

"I _thought_ you would be slow, because..." Eugene trailed off, realizing that saying what he had in mind wouldn't be politically correct. Not that this conversation was going the ideal way he had planned.

"I'm a bat?" Shade finished cynically. _Typical of humans_ He thought, _thinking they are superior and others lives are worthless. _

"Well... yes," Eugene finished a bit ashamedly. "Can we please direct this conversation to more civil topics?" He asked. This wasn't going the way he had planned at all.

"Why?" Shade asked, "It's not like capturing a intelligent being with a pregnant mate at their roost is civil at all. Or sending hundreds of bats with bombs to their death for their own purposes." Eugene was silent for a bit. Then he stood up and walked to a small window and closed it, before returning to the cage and opened the door. Eugene figured that this might calm the bat a little. If he found a middle ground, it might be more civil.

"You can come out," Eugene said, seeing Shade's bewilderment.

"Just like that? No bombs, bands, or piercings?" Shade asked, not approaching the door.

"Can you please stop making me feel evil? There still is some humanity in the world," Eugene said, "Besides, You're not free yet, you still have to get out of the shed." Shade furrowed his snout a bit, still not approaching the door.

"I think there is a little _too_ much humanity in the world; why do you say there is "some" ?" Shade asked.

"Humanity, in the spiritual form, is full of kindness, hope, joy, unity-" Eugene was cut off by a snort from Shade. "Do you mind?" He asked coldly.

"_Sorry;_ please continue," Shade said. Again, it was typical of humans to see themselves this way. He suddenly took off and landed on the window sill. He felt around the edges. As Eugene said there was no escape here. He turned back to Eugene who was saying something in his loud voice, before plucking the microphones off the cage and pointed them up to Shade. "Could you land on the table?" Eugene asked, "It's going to get uncomfortable with my arms up like this." Shade reluctantly landed on the table, and Eugene put the microphones down in front of Shade.

"Will you let me out of here?" Shade asked. He didn't want to be stuck in this "shed".

"Well," Eugene started, "Realizing you are more intelligent than I originally thought-"

"Thanks," Shade said dryly. Eugene frowned.

"Well you have given me motivation to let you go," Shade's ears perked up hopefully, "but I have a bit of a selfish problem that contradicts that," Eugene said.

"Of course you do," Shade muttered. Eugene scowled.

"Okay, if you don't stop making wisecracks-" Eugene started angrily.

"You'll stop being a kind, joyful human?" Shade said innocently. Eugene glared angrily and leaned forward.

"Humanity is an _ideal_; and it doesn't seem like a very satisfying one right now." Eugene said through gritted teeth. Shade decided to stop making wisecracks. As often.

"Okay," Shade said. Eugene leaned back and dropped the scowl.

"Lets try and have a more civil conversation now," Eugene said in a false cheery kind of way. "What is your name? I mean, you do have a name right?"

"Of course I do!" Shade exclaimed, "What kind of question is that?

"Well, I didn't know if you named each other. If humans can have vast differences, I can't imagine what yours and ours would be," Eugene said holding up his hands in defense. Shade shook his head before answering.

"It's Shade Silverwing," he replied, "Yours?"

"Eugene Bauman, pleased to meet you," They looked at each other for a second. Now they had a name for each other.

"So... Eugene, what goes to mind when you say civil conversation?" Shade asked.

"Non-hostile talking, at least openly," Eugene said, " Anything you would like to talk about?" Shade thought for a moment. It was strange talking "civilly" to a face he had hated for so long.

"Why can't you let me out now?" Shade asked _politely_. Eugene bit his lip.

"Well considering that this machine," He gestured towards it, "is useless without someone to talk to. A barrier between humans and animals has been broken. We can now talk and rationalize over problems. You hate humans because you think we consider ourselves above you, though I disagree. Can you imagine what would happen if people realized you are sentient beings? If humans do something you don't like, you can voice your displeasure. This is only possible if there is someone to talk to. Basically, if you stay this is achievable. If you don't, it isn't." Eugene said. Shade's eyes widened at this. The forest could be saved! The remaining bats at the paradise trap could be freed!

"Then go show the rest of the humans this now!" Shade exclaimed. Eugene looked guilty.

"They wouldn't believe me. If I went out and claimed I had talked to animals, they'd throw me in a mad house," he said, downcast. Eugene was stretching the truth a bit, but he would be thought as insane.

"What is a mad house?" Shade asked.

"It is where they put people who are insane. I wouldn't be able to do anything there," Eugene stated. Shade's excitement died instantly.

"So it's where you belong," Shade muttered, frustrated at this fact. A tiny ray of hope; gone. Eugene raised an eyebrow.

"You know, a human term for not right in the head is "Batty"," Eugene said. Shade took immediate offense at this.

"You humans tear down perfectly good forests, build strange machines, eat strange food, fight each other, and we're the ones who are insane?!" Shade spluttered angrily. Eugene shrugged, not wanting to respond to that.

"In a nicer way it means different, like you being the only flying mammals," He said, trying to calm Shade. "Besides you're not the only species that are considered to embody a trait. Rats are considered to be sneaky and filthy-" Shade frowned, not thinking of Romulus like that."-Snakes are thought to be tricky, and owls as wise," Shade nearly burst out laughing. He was starting to see how separation from the rest of the animals had made humans ignorant.

"However," Eugene said,"if I collect enough evidence they might believe me, so we have to be patient," Shade's mood perked up again.

"So in time?" Shade asked eagerly. Eugene nodded. "I still would like to leave," Shade said.

"Could you come back?" Eugene asked. Shade cocked his head to the side warily.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Can you come back for another meeting in a week or so? Like next Saturday?" Eugene asked.

"What is a week? And Saturday? What is that?" Shade asked trying to figure out what they were.

"All you have to do is be here in seven days at sunrise," Eugene said, not feeling like explaining further; there would be a time for that. He thought the topic at hand was more important. Shade nodded. It made sense; they would both get what they wanted, freedom and evidence.

"Agreed," Shade said with a nod. Eugene smiled. It seemed more friendly to him this time.

"Again, I would give you a handshake on it, but you lack hands," Eugene said. Shade shrugged, If the Eugene wanted to have hurt him, he would have a long time ago. He extended his wing. Eugene outstretched his hand seeing this. There was an awkward moment when they both realized the hand dwarfed Shade.

"..."

"..."

Eugene curled all his fingers except his pointer and they shook on it. Human and bat. Eugene went up and opened the window. He saw the sun rising and hesitated.

"Ummm... it's day time. You sure you can go home?" Shade rolled his eyes. Eugene's ignorance knew no bounds.

"Yes, I can," Shade said. Eugene blinked.

"Aren't you Nocturnal?" He asked.

"No... I'll tell you about it next time," Shade promised.

"You better. By the way, aren't you hungry?" Eugene asked, "You didn't touch your food." Shade was about to protest when his stomach growled.

"Yes," Shade admitted and turned to sniff the crickets.

"Why didn't you eat them last night?" Eugene asked. "Do you not like crickets?"

"No, I thought they were poisoned," Shade said awkwardly; Eugene had made it clear that he hated to be thought of as evil.

"I can assure you that they are not poisoned," Eugene said.

"How do you know?" Shade asked. Shade had determined that the crickets had a strange smell, almost like the insects at the paradise trap. Eugene reached under the table and brought up a container.

"It says it's not," Eugene said skimming over the ingredients and warnings.

"Okay," Shade said reluctantly and took a bite. It tasted like the insects at the trap, but staler. He gagged and spit it out.

"Is something wrong with it?" Eugene asked.

"It tastes terrible!" Shade said, "Where did you get it?"

"Pet's mart," Eugene said.

"What... Never mind, just don't get anything from there again. I'll just hunt," Shade said and fluttered up to the window sill. "I have to get back to Marina and my colony, they don't know what happened to me," Shade said briefly. He was starting to get anxious about getting back to New Tree Haven.

"Well... see you in seven days. Tell your colony that I'm sorry for the whole kidnapping thing," Eugene added the last part on a bit awkwardly.

"I will," Shade said, then launched himself into the air and flew back into the tree's around the Shed. Eugene watched him until he vanished among the trees. He turned to the clock. 10:30 a.m. Eugene exclaimed under his breath and quickly gathered his stuff up before sprinting as fast as he could back to the house.

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**AN: I hoped you enjoyed this. Did anyone catch the Darkwing reference?I am considering making this a full story instead of just a bunch of random meetings and talks. I am open to your advice.**


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